July 1 2026: New Buffet, Fresh Baked, NEW Guest Designer and SO MUCH MORE!

July 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment

It’s a brand-new month at Gingerscraps, and we have so much in store for you! Be sure to check out our new Free With Purchase, Monthly Mix, Challenge Reward, and Daily Download. We’re also excited to welcome a new Guest Designer. Stop by and see all the wonderful new products, promotions, and inspiration waiting for you this month!

Next let’s look at the July Buffet. Don’t forget to check out the Buffet Bundles. One easy click to add bundles of Buffet goodies to your cart.

I just love these gorgeous colors for July.

Summer Days captures the timeless charm of sunny afternoons and coastal adventures with a touch of vintage style. This bright and cheerful collection features old bicycles, sandy beaches, ocean waves, Adirondack chairs, colorful umbrellas, sandals, and other classic summertime favorites. Blending vibrant colors with nostalgic details, Summer Days is perfect for documenting family vacations, beach trips, boardwalk strolls, lazy afternoons, and all the memories that make summer unforgettable.

This collab includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 47 Papers, and 84 Elements.

This Free With Purchase was created by Aimee Harrison, CarolW Designs, Cindy Ritter Designs, and Scrapbookcrazy Creations by Robyn.

Under The Stars celebrates the magic of sleeping beneath a blanket of twinkling stars. Whether you’re gathered around a crackling campfire deep in the woods or enjoying a backyard sleepout with family and friends, this kit captures the wonder of outdoor adventures. Filled with camping essentials, woodland accents, cozy campfire touches, starry skies, and nature-inspired details, Under The Stars is perfect for preserving memories of camping trips, s’mores, hiking, late-night storytelling, and unforgettable summer nights spent under the open sky.

This kit includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase & Lowercase} and 82 Papers.

This Monthly Mix was created by Designs by Lisa Minor, Ilonkas Designs, LDragDesigns, Let Me Scrapbook, and Moore Blessings Digital Design.

July’s Daily Download is provided by Cindy Ritter Digital Designs and Designs by Lisa Minor. Stop by the blog each day in June to collect pieces of these beautiful kits.

We are excited to announce we have a new Guest Designer starting in July.

Kelley Danielle Design

BIO:
Hi! I’m Kelley! I’m a mom of 5 young adults (ages 18-24) along with a dog, 6 cats, and several reptiles. I discovered digiscrapping in 2010 and have been addicted ever since! Aside from scrapping and designing, I love photography, vegan cooking, sewing, soapmaking, junk journaling, happy mail – basically all things artsy or creative. I’m always adding new hobbies to the roster – my newest is sourdough baking. I also love gardening, camping, and visiting different parks to try out the hiking trails.

Take a look at the new challenge reward kit. If you complete any 10 challenges this month, you get this gorgeous collab (or a variety of other choices from previous challenge collabs) as a reward!

Freshness of July is bursting with the bright, carefree spirit of summer. Designed in a cheerful palette of sunny yellow, pink, and deep rose, this collection is filled with sweet cherries, zesty lemons, buzzing bees, and fresh seasonal accents that celebrate warm days and simple pleasures. Perfect for documenting picnics, farmers markets, backyard gatherings, sunny adventures, and all your fruity summer memories, Freshness of July brings a refreshing splash of color and happiness to every scrapbook page.

This kit includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase & Numbers}, 36 Papers, 57 Elements, and 2 12×12 Template {png & psd formats}.

This Challenge Reward was created by Connie Prince, Craft-tastrophic, and Cutie Pie Scraps.

Take a look at these beautiful samples created by the GS Creative Team. These were done using the July Free with Purchase Kit Summer Days.

Filed Under: Buffet, Daily Download, Digital Scrapbooking, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With: , , ,

Tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

June 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Zen Doodling Wrap-Up

Once again, Best Laid Plans were scuttled… but this WILL post before Tuesday is over. Thanks for the grace you all provide me, it’s deeply appreciated!

I’m finally wrapping up that Zen doodle project. Have you guessed what I put in the centre? Let’s see! This is where we ended last time. I acted on a hunch and took a look at the Custom Shape (aka Cookie Cutter) library. Whoa!! There’s a Yin-Yang symbol in there! To ensure it’s an actual circle, I selected Defined Proportions, which defaults to 1:1 and dragged out a symbol. Elements puts these shapes on their own layer, so once it’s been Simplified, it’s easy enough to resize and reposition.

As you can see here, I have a doodle layer, a yin-yang layer and a black outline layer that has a Cloak of Invisibility on it at the moment. Centering an object is simple: activate the two layers (doodle and yin-yang) then Align to both Center and Middle.

I should point out that the Brush I used for the basis of my doodle isn’t perfectly symmetrical. So when I Duplicated finished segments and moved them into place, they didn’t fit precisely over their spots. That means I have some… gaps. But… moving the black outline layer down to the bottom of the stack and Filling it with the Paint Bucket didn’t make them go away. What to do?

 

First I had to figure out where the problem actually existed.

I tried a *few* things that didn’t work. Then I Merged the doodle and black background layers together.

Then I just dumped black Paint until the gaps disappeared.

Other than Filling in the centre of the doodle with white, the remaining steps are completely optional. I wanted some catchlights and a bit of dimension so I went into the Styles menu and chose Wow Plastic. It’s one of Elements‘ core Styles that is part of the basic software. The one I’ve outlined in the screenshot is a CLEAR plastic Style so the colours below it will be unchanged. But… if you apply it to the actual doodle or yin-yang layer, the colour will disappear. So… Copy Layer it is!

It’s not really obvious in the screenshot, but the effect is a bit much. Too much. So I’ll adjust it.

This is a good skill to develop. You can pretty much always make adjustments to Layer Styles. And you can see what you’re doing as you do it, which really helps. To get into the Style Settings menu, double-click on the fx icon on the right side of the Layer.

I changed the Lighting Angle to 60°, tweaked the Drop Shadow Size and Distance to 16 pixels each, lowered the Opacity to 46%, set the Outer Glow to 54 pixels at 39% Opacity and decreased the Bevel to 35 pixels. That gives it a nice 3D look without being overpowering.

I think I’ll apply the same Style to the rest of the doodle. I don’t need to remember what those settings were, I can just Copy Layer Style to Paste it onto the doodle. But not THE doodle… a Copy Layer. To Copy the Style, right-click on the Styled layer and choose Copy Layer Style from the dropdown.

Making sure you’re on the Copy of the doodle layer, right-click again and select Paste Layer Style and Elements will apply those same settings to the doodle.

I Saved my doodle as a layered PSD file so I can make other adjustments when I decide to use it for a card or a layout. It can be a background, a frame (pop a photo into the centre instead of a yin-yang) or even a 3D element. For those purposes I’d want to Save it as a PNG file so the transparent background is preserved.

Now, you may NEVER attempt digital Zen doodling, but these techniques can be put into play in so many other ways. Don’t be afraid to experiment!! If something doesn’t look like you want it to, just Undo [CTRL/CMD>Z] as many steps as you need to (my fingers just find that keyboard shortcut naturally, from so much practice) and try something different. All you’ll lose it a bit of time. 😉

I’ll be back on Thursday with a July Designer Spotlight. Care to guess who that might be?

Happy Canada Day to all the Canucks out there. And happy 12th birthday to my first grandchild, Jonathan.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking, Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, Tutorials Tagged With:

Gingerscraps Fresh Baked Friday- June 26, 2026

June 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Happy Friday friends. We’ve made it to the end of another week. Can you believe we are almost half way through 2026? I’m not sure how that happened. Our designers have given us some beautiful kits to scrap those summer photos.

Remember that any $10 in the store gets you this wonderful collab.

Let’s see what summer vibes the designers have for us this week.

We are halfway through the month. How are your challenges going? If you complete any 10 challenges this month, you get this gorgeous collab (or a variety of other choices from previous challenge collabs) as a reward!

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With: , ,

OOPS!!

June 23, 2026 by 4 Comments

I’m sorry to say I’ve gotten absolutely nothing done over the last week so there won’t be a wrap-up for the Zen Doodling series today. My friend is staying an extra day and once we’re back to normal I’ll get right on it. My apologies!

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking

GingerScraps Fresh Baked Friday and Returning Designer – June 19, 2026

June 19, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Hi Scrapping Friends!

Another Friday is here, and that always means something exciting. Our designers have created some amazing new kits that are now available in the store, and we’re thrilled to welcome Alexis Designs back as a permanent designer!

Don’t forget that the Bake Sale is still underway, but only for two more days. Be sure to pick up your favorite kits in the sale before it ends on June 20.

Happy scrapping!

Remember that any $10 in the store gets you this wonderful collab.

Let’s see what is new this week.

We are halfway through the month. How are your challenges going? If you complete any 10 challenges this month, you get this gorgeous collab (or a variety of other choices from previous challenge collabs) as a reward!

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With: , ,

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

June 16, 2026 by 1 Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Recipe Challenge

Today’s Challenge is hosted by Angelle Designs.

It’s been a while since we looked at a Recipe Challenge, so let’s do it! For the folks who haven’t taken part in a Recipe before, I look at it like a Speed Scrap but without the ticking clock. The host of the Challenge provides a list of required elements for the Challenge, and each participant approaches the Challenge from their own angle. This month’s list looks like this:

1. warm tone background
2. a frame
3. a button or a brad
4. at least 3 flowers
5. a string
6. a journal or a pocket card

(These 6 are obligatory.)

Today I have seven layouts to share with you, and we’ll look at each one to see how well it meets the terms of the Challenge. Are you ready?

Before we jump in, I have to provide the obligatory info part of the post… Each of the layouts is linked to its spot in the Challenge Gallery. This is so that you can take a closer look, and maybe leave the Scrapper some praise. Just click on the Scrapper’s user name and you’ll be taken right to the layout. (Any time you see text in any of my posts that is BOLD, COLOURED and UNDERLINED, you’ll know it’s a hyperlink that will take you somewhere else. 😉 )

PickyMom created this layout for her entry. Her background is “mostly” warm tones. Her frame and button/brad are easily visible, as is her string. She has more than three different flowers, and she’s also included a pocket card. Full marks!

Katherine Woodin is a bird-watcher like I am! Warm tone background? Check. Frame? Check. Button/brad? Check. At least 3 flowers? Check. String? Check! Pocket or journal card? Hmmmm. Close enough!

Now, the warm tone background dricamendes used is obvious. Yellow is what gives other colours warm undertones. (Remember colour theory?) She’s used several frames, her button is acting as a grounding element, she has some twine tucked in behind her central cluster and she has tons of flowers. I think we can be generous and consider her journal spot as a “card”.

DiDi’s Mom has also used a (mainly) yellow – therefore warm – background. She tucked her frame in behind her photo, and has both button and brad represented. I see a journaling card, a tag, and a label she’s used for some of her journaling. There’s a curl of string and exactly three flowers. All boxes checked!

Jill chose a toast-y background. I see her frame, a button anchoring one of her pieces of string, lots of flowers and a pocket card. I just LOVE the cutlery poking out of her large cluster!

DebraB went with a lighter value of toast-y here. The only required element I don’t see is the frame, but the paper behind her photo could be perceived as framing it, so let’s go with that!

At first glance, greenfiend27 has used more of a cool pink but then there’s the yellow splash that warms it right up. Button(s), frame, string, flowers… and a tag representing a pocket card. All boxes checked!

How might you have used this Recipe?

I will have out-of-town company next Tuesday, but should be able to get the final Zen Doodling installment out to you. Have you guessed what’s in the centre?

Now, I must go back to watching the wildfire crews battle a small fire on the other side of the lake…….. it looks like it’s under control.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Challenge Spotlight, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking, Tutorials Tagged With:

GingerScraps Fresh Baked Friday and Summer Dreamin’ Sale – June 12, 2026

June 12, 2026 by Leave a Comment

The Summer Dreamin’ Flash Sale is here at Gingerscraps! From June 12–15, enjoy 55% off select products throughout the store.

There’s even more to explore this week:

Don’t miss this chance to save big, discover new designs, and participate in all the creative activities happening at Gingerscraps!

Remember that any $10 in the store gets you this wonderful collab.

Let’s see what wonderful new kits we have from our fabulous designers.

Now for a peek at what the designers are offering for the Summer Dreamin’ Flash Sale.

Have you gotten started on your challenges? If you complete any 10 challenges this month, you get this gorgeous collab (or a variety of other choices from previous challenge collabs) as a reward!

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies, sales Tagged With: , , ,

Tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

June 9, 2026 by 14 Comments

Zen Doodling the Digital Way – Part 4 of 5!

Yes! You read that correctly… this series is nearing its end. I just have to finish off the final version of the Mandala and it’s finished. Today I’m filling in the last of the 8 segments with some stripes. Of a sort. Some stripes, some lines of dots and some flowers are all in there. Much of this post will be basically reviewing what I’ve already shown you; most of these tips are much more broadly applicable than just to Zen doodling, too. Are you ready?

So first thing is to isolate the shape on its own layer so it can be manipulated. I popped a New Layer above the main Mandala layer but kept the Mandala layer the active one. Then I used the Magic Wand Tool to Select the last segmental shape. Then I made a Copy of it by clicking Edit>Copy [keyboard shortcut CTRL/CMD>C].

Then I made the New Layer active and clicked Edit>Paste [CTRL/CMD>V]

For this step I definitely could have used the Paint Bucket to change the colour, but have found I get better results with the Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color method.

When you use this method, it’s imperative that you remember to tick the box next to Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask. That puts the colour ONLY inside whatever is on the layer below it, rather than Filling the whole workspace.

Then I chose my colour. Oddly, it’s one that I see in my closet all the time. 😉

Then, so that I don’t lose track of the shape layers, I Merged them together. [CTRL/CMD>E]

My first white stripe is 15 pixels wide, using the Pencil Tool as I’ve demonstrated before. To keep the stripes completely inside the shape, I CTRL/CMD>clicked on the shape Layer Thumbnail to Select the edge of the shape before I started drawing my stripes. Remember how do make a straight line? Click start>SHIFT>Click stop!

Then I added some rows of dots, using white and the same 15 pixel Pencil Tool. I just eyeballed them; at this scale, it would be hard to see a variation in gaps.

Do you ever use the Custom Shape Tool? It’s the one that might look like a rounded rectangle or an amoeba in the Tools Panel. This Tool is amazing for all kinds of purposes. I knew I wanted my flowers to be a uniform size and a symmetrical shape so I used the Tool Options to make sure it happened. I chose Defined Proportions – the default setting is 1:1 – and ticked the box for From Center to start. My colour is black.

There it is! It looks to be about the right size, too! Remember, Custom Shapes start out as Smart Objects, which means they can’t be altered as is. They need to be Simplified first.

I guesstimated I’d need four flowers for that first stripe, so I used CTRL/CMD>J to make some Copies. Then I moved one down to about where I wanted the flower stripe to end. By making all four layers active, I can use some other Tool Options to Work Smart, Not Hard.

If you don’t see Tool Options for the Move Tool, click on the Tool Options bar at the bottom of your workspace. Then go to Align and click Middle. All four of the flowers will line up like little soldiers.

To get them all neatly spaced out, use Distribute>Center and they’ll jump into position. They can then be Rotated and Moved as a group into place on the stripe.

 

I’ll show you this tip now, but you might want to wait until all your flower stripes are in place and Merged into a single layer so you only have to do it once. To remove the dangling parts, CTRL/CMD>click on the shape Layer Thumbnail, then Select>Inverse [CTRL/CMD>SHIFT>I] to move the Selection to the outside of the shape. Then Edit>Cut [CTRL/CMD>X].

As you can see, I got ahead of myself. I made a bunch of flowery stripes following the same basic steps as for the first one, Rotated and Moved them into place and THEN I Merged them all into a single layer so I could clean them up in one move.

How about some little white centres in those flowers? I added a New Layer so they could all be together. To make them a little softer-looking, I added a Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. But I went gently.

SUPER-gently… 0.5 pixels worth.

To make the shape a single “thing” so it can be Copied and Distributed, I Merged all the current shape’s layers. [CTRL/CMD>E]

Eight Copies later, they’re all in place and ready to Merge with the main Mandala layer.

Any guesses?

One thing I’ve learned through this process is that my vision is deteriorating fairly quickly now. It’s becoming harder and harder to see the cursor in Elements, to see the text on the tabs, and to just generally function, and light levels really affect how well I see anything. I haven’t done a lot of actual scrapping in months now, and I do miss it! I can’t say for sure whether the surgery I’ll likely need in the next year or so will help or not. I guess I’ll find out. ;( It’s a good thing that we’ve already created so many great tutorials for you, from beginner to advanced, because I think my digiscrapping days are numbered.

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking, Let's Get Crafty, Tutorials Tagged With:

Designer Spotlight: June 2026

June 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Aimee Harrison

Aimee and I didn’t manage to squeeze in a chat… too much on the go for both of us. But I decided I really should do at least a little blurb for all the Designers with whom, for whatever reason, I don’t get to chat with – instead of just not doing anything. From today forward. 😉 And I’m late-ish today, having spent the morning at Urgent Care. (Nothing to worry about, just one of those old-lady problems that needed to be promptly addressed.)

Of course, if you’re here, you know Aimee is providing the June Daily Download, and can collect all the mini-files that make up the full kit.

You can find her Store here.

Aimee is hosting the Designer Spotlight Challenge as well as her usual Color Challenge. Give them a look!

I don’t have a coupon code for you today, but it looks like most of Aimee’s Store is currently 50% off. (Bundles and some Styles are excluded.) Aimee is one of my favourite Designers, so I highly recommend you check out her deals!!

Filed Under: Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Daily Download, Digital Scrapbooking, Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, Feature Designer, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With:

June 1 2026: New Buffet, Fresh Baked, NEW Guest Designer and SO MUCH MORE!

June 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment

It’s a brand-new month at Gingerscraps, and we have so much in store for you! Be sure to check out our new Free With Purchase, Monthly Mix, Challenge Reward, and Daily Download. We’re also excited to welcome a new Guest Designer. Stop by and see all the wonderful new products, promotions, and inspiration waiting for you this month!

Next let’s look at the June Buffet. Don’t forget to check out the Buffet Bundles. One easy click to add bundles of Buffet goodies to your cart.

I love that these colors are not your typical “summer” colors. The designers did a great job (as usual). Remember that you can combine any of the buffet kits to make your own collection.

Stonehaven Cottage invites you into a romantic forgotten estate where beauty quietly blooms once again. Inspired by the charm of an old English manor slowly returning to life, this collection is filled with moss covered statues, overgrown roses, wildflowers, aged stone paths, weathered benches, antique florals, and delicate worn lace textures. The muted and slightly dark palette of rich vintage tones creates an atmosphere that feels timeless, weathered, and softly mysterious. Every detail of Stonehaven Cottage evokes the feeling of wandering through hidden gardens and forgotten pathways where nature and history intertwine. Perfect for heritage photos, romantic storytelling, garden inspired layouts, and dreamy vintage pages, this kit captures the beauty of things lovingly worn by time.

This collab includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase & Numbers}, 51 Papers, and 87 Elements.

This Free With Purchase was created by Memory Mosaic, ScrapChat Designs, Scraps N Pieces, and Tami Miller Designs.

Oceanside captures the carefree spirit of summer by the sea. Filled with breezy beach vibes, ocean inspired elements, and sunny seasonal charm, this kit is perfect for documenting vacations, sandy toes, salty air, and unforgettable summer memories. Whether you are scrapping days spent by the waves, relaxing coastal evenings, or family adventures along the shore, Oceanside brings the warmth and beauty of the beach to every page.

This kit includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 48 Papers, and 82 Elements.

This Monthly Mix was created by Adrienne Skelton, Key Lime Digi Design, Lindsay Jane,  and Magical Scraps Galore.

June’s Daily Download is provided by Aimee Harrison Designs. Stop by the blog each day in June to collect pieces of this beautiful kit.

We are excited to announce we have a new Guest Designer starting in June.

GS Creations

BIO:

Hi, it’s Gaye from GSCreations, I’ve been designing scrapbook supplies since around 2009, I’ve lost count of the years but I do know that if I don’t get my daily fix of coffee and creative time I can be a little grumpy around the edges……..  I live with my family and fur babies in the small town of George, Western Cape South Africa where we are blessed with blue skies, mountains and the sea. My biggest hope is that my products bring a smile to your face and inspiration to create. xoxo hugs

Take a look at the new challenge reward kit. If you complete any 10 challenges this month, you get this gorgeous collab (or a variety of other choices from previous challenge collabs) as a reward!

Coffee Shop is a warm and cozy collection inspired by your favorite neighborhood café. Designed in a natural palette of rich browns, creamy neutrals, and soft tan tones, this kit is filled with everything coffee lovers adore. You will find mugs, coffee pots, coffee stained accents, beans, café signs, sweet treats, and comforting details that perfectly capture the atmosphere of a relaxing coffee shop visit. Whether you are documenting morning routines, café meetups, cozy conversations, or your love for coffee itself, Coffee Shop brings warmth and comfort to every layout.

This kit includes: 1 Alpha1 {Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 48 Papers, and 98 Elements.

This Challenge Reward was created by ADB Designs, The Scrappy Kat, The Brit Chick,  and Palvinka Designs.

Take a look at these beautiful samples created by the GS Creative Team. These were done using the June Monthly Mix, Oceanside.

Filed Under: Buffet, Daily Download, Digital Scrapbooking, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With: , , ,
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